Pre-Match Thoughts: Mendez-Laing Feeling 'At Home' As A Ram

Winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is feeling settled for the first time in his career now he’s a Derby County player.

The 30-year-old’s been an important figure since making the move to Pride Park Stadium in early July, contributing with three goals and two assists during the opening six weeks of the campaign.

He was one of 14 new signings to join the first team ranks following the takeover of the club by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, who took Derby out of administration and set to work on rebuilding the Rams.

Results have been promising in the early stages of the season under Liam Rosenior, but an away win in Sky Bet League One is still proving elusive - and that will be sought once again at Morecambe this Saturday, when Derby play their 5,000th league match.

As one of the founding members of the Football League, it’ll be a day full of pride for all associated with the Rams, who will hope for a result to match the occasion.

And Mendez-Laing says the side know what they need to do to right the wrongs of last weekend, when Derby let a two-goal lead slip to fall to a 3-2 defeat at home to Plymouth Argyle - their first Pride Park loss of the campaign.

He joined RamsTV ahead of this weekend’s fixture to discuss feeling at home as a Ram, his start to the campaign and the upcoming trip to Morecambe.

On Settling In…

I started to feel at home here very early on and I’m very settled. I’ve played for a lot of clubs in my career, but since starting a family I’ve wanted to be settled and I hadn’t had that before. I think it shows in my football; I’m playing with a smile on my face and enjoying it. That plays a big part. I’ve heard people say it in the past without really experiencing it, but I am now. A few of us have taken time out to gel and that’s been really good for all the boys. Performances haven’t been too bad either, so it’s been a good few weeks.

On His Performances…

I’m pleased with how I’ve played. Don’t get me wrong, I know we still have a long way to go and it’s still early days, but I hadn’t had a pre-season in a few years. I didn’t think that was too big a deal but, with one under my belt, I’ve started fairly well. Goals help, too. Contributing is what I’ve been brought here to do.

On Last Week’s Loss…

We’ve sat down and done a debrief of the game and I don’t think we were at it – myself included. We didn’t have the intensity that we usually do and we were lucky to be 2-0 up, to be honest. At that point, we should have been able to see the game out. We weren’t really at it and we know that, but we’ve got a chance to put it right on Saturday.

On What To Expect At Morecambe…

We’ve had a hard week of training and have done a lot of good work, tactically and physically, so hopefully that shows at the weekend. We’re desperate to change our form away from home. We know what we need to do and have a game plan, which I’m confident of us bringing out. I think we can expect a high tempo, counter-pressing and being there for your team-mates.